Bale

Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth was a first-round pick (22nd overall) by the Orioles in the 1997 draft and was eventually traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher John Bale without having made a major league appearance in an O's uniform. He was traded to the Dodgers for Jason Frasor in 2004 and signed with the Phillies as a free agent two years ago. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

LONDON - Did Batman attack his family? Christian Bale was arrested and released here yesterday and then denied allegations made by his mother and sister that he had assaulted them Sunday night. The arrest reportedly was delayed until after Monday night's glittering European premiere of the actor's latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight. The British press reported that Bale was accused of lashing out at his mother and sister Sunday in his suite at the downtown Dorchester hotel. Bale was questioned by police for four hours yesterday morning and released.

I'm pretty sure that if you got yourself a big federal grant and did a study, you'd find that professional athletes are not - on average - any less intelligent than the general population, but you'd never know that by the headlines. On almost any given day, somebody in sports is proving the timeless wisdom of fictional philosopher Forrest Gump, who was fond of pointing out that "stupid is as stupid does." Case in point: Former Orioles pitcher John Bale, who fractured his hand punching a door Friday in Cleveland.

Kansas City Royals left-hander John Bale, already on the disabled list because of a tight shoulder, broke his pitching hand punching a door at the team's hotel in Cleveland. A club spokesman said Bale, a former Oriole, informed team officials he had pain in his hand after striking the door Friday. X-rays were taken during Saturday night's 4-2 win over the Indians, revealing the fracture on the side of his hand. Bale returned to Kansas City, Mo., yesterday morning. He will be examined by team doctors, possibly today.

Like many Hollywood hopefuls, dialect coach Francie Brown first went to Los Angeles to act. Unlike most, she ended up actually making a living in the movies, though not in the way she had anticipated. "I was always interested in accents," she says without a trace of her native Philadelphia inflecting her diction. "I collected dictionaries for years and always liked picking up bits and pieces of other languages. But I never realized there was actually a living to be had in it until a few years after I got into Hollywood."

The state Department of Agriculture reminds farmers participating in the 2007-2008 Traditional Winter Cover Crop Program that they can graze livestock in cover-crop fields or cut and bale the crop for winter hay once the cover crop is fully established. Many livestock producers are in a feed deficit because of reductions in hay and grain supplies and pasture grasses from the drought. Cover crops are widely recognized as one of the most cost-effective and environmentally promising ways to absorb unused nitrogen and control soil erosion to reduce potential nutrient impacts to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries during winter.

If Dieter Dengler hadn't already existed, he would be exactly the sort of character who might have sprung from the fertile imagination of Werner Herzog. Shot down over Laos in 1966, the German-born U.S. fighter pilot endured months in a brutal prisoner-of-war camp before escaping and - more amazingly - surviving an ordeal that left him at the mercy of the Southeast Asian jungles. Rescue Dawn (MGM) Starring Christian Bale, Steve Zahn. Written and directed by Werner Herzog. Rated PG-13.

After packing dozens of bales of hay into trailers, a group of horse enthusiasts from the Baltimore area set off for Hagerstown in the early morning chill yesterday to help the local humane society care for more than 70 animals that are alleged to have been neglected. Maureen Haley, who owns six horses on her Jarrettsville farm, helped organize the caravan and chart its nearly 80-mile trip. The group met yesterday morning at the Hunt Valley Towne Centre before setting off for Sharpsburg to deliver about 480 bales of hay. "All of these people have diverse interests in horses, whether they're breeders, jumpers or involved with 4-H," Haley said, motioning to the group of volunteers.

Devout Christians beware: Blogging might be bad for your relationship with the Lord. At least that's the view of the Restored Church of God, which has concluded that blogs are dens of iniquity, havens for child molesters and harbingers of sin. Quoting several scriptural passages, an article on the church's Web site concludes: "The Internet - and more specifically blogs - has enabled everyone to have a voice on any matter. Now everyone's thoughts are `published' for all to see. Whether or not it is effective, as soon as something is posted the person has a larger voice.

On Saturday, December 24, 2005, beloved husband of the late Ebba M. Egbert; father of Carolyn L. (Harvey) Bale and Robert F. (Linda) Egbert; grandfather of Chuck E. Bale, Jennifer D. Fenwick, Justin M. Egbert and Christopher E. Bale, step grandfather of Kelly Rothering and Billy Brant; great grandfather of Brandie, Kyleen, Sierra, Stevie, Shai, Justin and Saige. Relatives and friends may call at Borgwardt Funeral Home, 4400 Powder Mill Road, Beltsville, on Thursday from 6 to 9 P. M where service will be held on Friday, December 30 at 11 A.M. Interment Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, February 1 at 3 P.M. Meet at Administration Bldg at 2:30 P.M. Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Foundation, 11240 Waples Mill Road, Suite 402, Fairfax, VA 22030 or Korean War Memorial, 900 Ohio Drive, S.W., Washington, DC 20024, Attn:Superintendent.